Honestly, I don't know where the time goes. On Wednesday it felt like Friday, and now that the real Friday has come and gone I'm wondering where all the time went. So here we are almost midway through Sunday and despite having a three-day weekend with no real plans, I somehow find myself very busy. There is clutter to tidy up, dishes to do, a messy stove to clean, laundry to do, market bounty to put away, cats to groom, a run to do, and eventually dinner (and bread?) to make. And so this week's CSA and market roundups will be a bit briefer than usual.

Wednesday's CSA box... well, it came a bit out of nowhere. After weeks of spring goodies, and the emergence of summer produce at the market, what did I find in my box? Broccoli! Kale! Collard greens! (And, inexplicably, watermelon.) The broccoli was, it must be said, looking a bit the worse for wear, presumably due to last week's heat wave. But the collard greens were surprisingly good with some raisins and spices, couscous, and sausage. I haven't yet cut into the watermelon, but I plan to do so this afternoon or tomorrow. It's supposed to be yellow inside! I've never had one of those. I am considering breaking out the mortar and pestle to make some chile-lime salt for sprinkling over the watermelon.

At the market today, well, I once again made out like a bandit. There are dahlias on the living room table. I have carrots, celery, and parsley for my lentil and bulgur salad (which I'll have with some sauteed broccoli rabe from a friend's garden). Leeks are for the linguine that I made last week and enjoyed so much that I'm impatient to make it again. Asparagus for an exciting new recipe recommended by Sapna, which I'll post when I make it on Tuesday or Wednesday. In short, I am flush with delicious vegetables! But that's not all. I picked up a basket of strawberries, more white peaches, and some cherries and apricots. (The Blenheims are still two or so weeks away, alas, but being impatient, I couldn't resist the prospect of the tart that Brave Sir Robin recommended last week!) There's also a pasture-raised longhorn steak for when the Suitor makes his (hopefully triumphant) return from his Brazilian Ironman adventure.

We put in our veggie garden this weekend. Lettuces: rocket and cos. Two kinds of carrot. Cucumbers. Broad beans and runner beans. Yellow bell peppers. Cauliflower and Broccoli. Strawberries and blueberries (tied to one of little wigwam things). We have had hard rain today, and little daughter is worried that all of her seeds are going to float away!

I didn't realize that your Suitor does Ironmans as well! Is this what brought you together? And in Brazil? Sounds so intriguing.

I've only eaten yellow/orange watermelon once or twice . . . and had sort of forgotten about it. Watermelon is one of my favorite summer foods, though. When it was REALLY hot we used to eat it in lieu of dinner.

My grandparents all salted their watermelon and canteloupe . . . probably a holdover from the days when there was no air-conditioning in Texas, and people actually needed to replace their salts. My mother never let us do this, though, and I've never tried it. Let me know how you like the chile-lime combo.

Where does the time go indeed! I spent all day Saturday running errands. All day! Luckily, we managed to make it to our market as well, and bought the best strawberries I have ever eaten (from an organic UFW farm): small and red all over (ALL over!)

I haven't made the tart yet--I'm going to do it tonight or tomorrow night (the latter is more likely).

I'll post the greens recipe this afternoon. I had never seen collard greens except for the massively overcooked ones I've seen in some southern cooking. I suppose I don't blame them, though--I was surprised at how tough and leathery the greens are when they're raw.

Bee, I am so excited about your garden! Are you just tickled, or what?

This was the first full IM for the Suitor, and he finished with an excellent time (especially for a first-timer). It was not what introduced us to each other, although it is certainly nice that we both enjoy this type of thing.

I think the salt on the watermelon must be a southern/Texas thing. The Suitor is originally from Louisiana, and he grew up salting his melon. I thought it was the weirdest thing when I first saw him do it!

It is sad about the asparagus, isn't it? I'm glad I managed to get some so that I can try this recipe before they disappear from the market.

I want to got to the market with you! Collard greens and those Cook's Illustrated Biscuits sound like a good pair.

I learned something from my Grandma this weekend (among other things): When you tap a watermelon with the back of your hand you are not only looking for that hollow sound but you want to feel reverberations on your other hand which should be placed palm down at the widest part of the melon.

You're right, BSR, the watermelon is VERY sweet! I tried making some chile-lime salt, but I'm afraid the chile and lime get a bit lost in the intensity of the salt. Maybe I need salt that's not quite so coarse, but I pounded away with the mortar and pestle and it's now quite fine... maybe I need a higher ratio of flavors to salt.

I'm making the tart tomorrow, but I made the crust (dough) today so that things are a faster and easier tomorrow evening. I'm using the "foolproof" pie dough from Cook's Illustrated (which I wrote up in this post) because I love how flaky and tender it is. I'm planning a delicious meal for the Suitor's triumphant return from Brazil, and the tart will fit nicely into it.

Next time you're up here for the weekend, Katie, let's hit the market together. I suspect you'll need a good dunking in locavore, tree-hugger, food-snob culture after your trip.

Interesting tip about the watermelon! I'll test it out on the melon that I'm expecting in tomorrow's box.